Salvation
by fictitiousburn
Summary: [PonyboyDally] After finding out Johnny Cade is dead, Dallas Winston rushes from the hospital in a fitful rage. While holding up the store, someone comes to save Dally...from himself and the fate he bestowed to his heart after Johnny passed away.


Story: Salvation

Summary: After finding out Johnny Cade is dead, Dallas Winston rushes from the hospital in a fitful rage. While holding up the store, someone comes to save Dally--from himself and the fate he bestowed to his heart after Johnny passed away. PonyboyDally

Authoressa: I thought of this. So, this is my first outsiders fanfic. Hope you like it!

Dedicated: To Jamers, cause she's my Outsiders buddy.

Salvation

Dallas Winston was in denial. His eyes were alit with anger; he was angry at Johnny Cade. Not for dying, no, not _ever_ for dying. For being a brave, smart ass and jumping inside the burning church, for leaving the world without saying goodbye to him, for looking up to _him_ and wanting to be just like him. So, Dally would do the same. He would be like Johnny. He would be dead.

Running up the street, he noticed the general store. People were bustling around inside and Dally knew it would be perfect. Running inside, he thought carefully before fingering the heater in his pocket. He hooked his ring finger into the trigger and when he walked up to the front, he yanked it out of his pocket. The store owner looked about to wet himself as Dally threatened him off of the top of his head. But, the employees in the back called the police, which arrived and surrounded the store.

--

Ponyboy didn't trust Dally alone. Hell, he didn't trust Dally in a room full of people. So, running after him as fast as he could, he followed Dally out of the hospital, but was cut off by Mrs. Cade, Johnny's mother.

"Where are you going? Johnny wanted you to stay with him?" Ponyboy felt the tears tug at his eyes. He knew Johnny's mother meant nothing to him, but she still didn't know.

"Johnny's dead!" He exclaimed, trying to push past the woman. She caught him by the crook of his elbow and whirled him around, her eyes grave.

"What? No!" She shouted, making Ponyboy's ears ring. "He can't be! He's but a boy! Sixteen, my Johnny is!"

"Johnny's dead, Mrs. Cade. He's not coming back home, he wouldn't even if he was alive, but he's not getting any older." Ponyboy said cruelly to her. He wanted her to _somehow_ feel the pain she had cause her son, to feel the anguish Johnny felt when emptying his heart to him, to feel the sorrow she had burned into his mind. Ponyboy didn't expect this, though. Mrs. Cade took one look at the hospital, and cried.

Broke down and cried, right in front of Ponyboy. Dropped to her knees, tears falling from her eyes.

"I may not have treated my Johnny right, but he was _mine_ and I didn't want to lose him. I know I was horrible and I can't begin to apologize, but I love him, he's my Johnny, I always will." Ponyboy felt his heart rip in two. He yearned for Johnny to hear what his mother was saying, for him to know that she actually cared about him in some way. Yet, he didn't want her to cry at all, to hold up the reputation she had for being Johnny's horrible, abusive mother, yet she was crying in front of him.

Ponyboy knelt down and patted her back softly. He didn't know Mrs. Cade, but he knew Johnny.

"Johnny was a great kid." Ponyboy said quietly, his throat closing up and tears filling his eyes. yet, the sounds of sirens erupted in his ears. Dally, he thought furiously, I have to find Dally.

--

Dally knew this was the end. Running the hand with the heater through his head, he watched the cops come out of the car slowly. He knew they wanted him to drop his gun. He wasn't going to. He knew what would happen, and what he wanted. Dallas Winston always got everything he wanted. He wanted to be a big, tough Greaser, he got it. He wanted to be a solo flyer, yet respected by all, and he got it. But, he didn't want Johnny to die. He wanted himself to die, and he was pretty sure he was going to get it. Until now.

The cops had begun pulling their guns out, and Dally raised his, his large, calloused hands trembling with fear and anticipation. He wanted to _feel_ death, he wanted it to envelope him like it had Johnny. He wanted to be somewhere that Johnny had gone. Defiant, Dally shook the heater in his hand threateningly.

--

Ponyboy arrived around the ring of cops and saw Dally through the mess, a shined up heater gleaming at the fourteen year old boy. The run-in with Mrs. Cade had slammed his throat tightly shut, running through tears, but could still make out a look of pain etched onto the blonde's face. With a hoarse, rebellious cry, Ponyboy launched himself into the circle screaming, "_Stop! Don't shoot him!_"

Ponyboy saw Dally give him a look of concern, before dropping the heater and rushing over to the boy. He clenched him by the shoulders and shook him angrily, his bitten-back nails stinging his skin.

"Ponyboy, what in the hell are you doing here? I--stay out of this."

"Dally, no!" He exclaimed, tears still blurring his vision. "You can't do this! It wasn't your fault, Johnny wouldn't want this!" Dally froze, his hands unclenched from Ponyboy's shoulder and he fell to his knees. Ponyboy dropped down beside him, sobbing.

"It's not your fault, Dally. Stop beating yourself up over this. Please, Dally. We need you, we can't have a tragedy on top of a tragedy!" The cops seemed relieved, that Ponyboy was talking some sense into the boy. Dally's voice seemed to be disappearing as well as Ponyboy's.

"I could die alone, Ponyboy. I was solo from the group of Greasers, I don't need to be save by anyone." He said, his eyes melting at the sight of the youngest Greaser knelt down beside him in tears.

"You do. I had to save you, Dally. You can't save everyone and leave yourself to die." Grabbing the older boy by the forearm, he pulled, letting him know that he wanted him to get up. He waved the cops off, as Dally wrapped a steady arm around Ponyboy's shoulders.

"You don't look well, Pony." The blonde said coarsely, his deep voice scratching Ponyboy's ears.

"I don't feel it, either." He said, leaning onto Dally. His eyes closed, as the taller boy caught him before he hit the ground. Dally knew it. It was true. He had been saving everyone. He didn't want to die. He wanted salvation. And Dallas Winston always got what he wanted.

Salvation


End file.
